An Unnecessary Proposal: National Identification Cards As a response to investigations after the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Flight 93 attacks on September 11, 2001, America and four supporting countries invaded Iraq in March of 2003 to remove weapons of mass destruction and end Saddam Hussein's contributions to terrorism. Likewise, vigorous dialogue concerning a standardized, national identification card surfaced in September 2001. Furthermore, in 2005 Congress enacted into law the REAL ID Act that supported the use of a standardized driver’s license as a national identification (Swartz 14). Neither response provided adequate security for America citizens. A national identification card would not bring significant benefits to citizens nor reduce terrorism because it is expensive, penetrable, and imperfect.

First, implementing a national identification card would be expensive. A conservative projected cost was eleven billion dollars for the undebated provision that was attached to a military appropriations act for Iraq and Afghanistan (Swartz 14). Another estimate provided by The Department of Homeland Security projected the cost at twenty-three billion dollars. To understand if the REAL ID Act is a good buy, citizens must be able to compare the legislation’s purchasing power (Swartz 14). For instance, twenty-three billion dollars would substantially fund most of Tennessee’s 29.3 billion dollar budget for the upcoming year, and three billion dollars is a substantial amount to every state battling current economic hardships. What would these billions of dollars purchase? The expenditure, which would not cover collecting new information about citizens, would simply cover the cost of linking current databases and document storage fees. If the price tag provided a genuine upgrade in security, the sacrifice would be worthwhile; however, paying more cash for an existing product is not economically justifiable.

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...NationalIDCards
The question of a nationalIDcard is a controversial issue in our country today. Many people feel that a nationalIDcard would make them safer and help prevent terrorist attacks. However, a nationalIDcard would cause more problems than it would solve. Instituting a nationalIDcard would create the need for a new database, the card wouldn't make Americans feel safer, and the government's standpoint on the issue is very unstable, making American's question the real intention of this new nationalIDcard. Since the terrorist's attacks on September 11th, the United States has been in a state of fear, but instituting a nationalIDcard would not ease the fear in Americans.
If a nationalIDcard went into effect, there would be a need for a new database to hold all American's sensitive information. The cost of this new database could be anywhere from the millions to billions of dollars. In Margaret Carlson's essay, The Case for a NationalIDCard (513), she stated that Larry Ellison, chairman of Oracle, would donate the pertinent software if the United States...

...NationalIDCard
The government announced plans to introduce a national identity (ID) card scheme. The introduction of IDcards is linked to fears over immigration and terrorism, specifically in the wake of 9/11. The card will contain their name and personal details placed on a new national identity register, which will become the world's biggest biometric database, holding information on every adult. Many people question the nationalID card’s viability and purpose, due to incidents of high-profile loss of data by the government and with doubts over the reliability and security of biometric information, as well as concerns over civil liberties.
Dershowitz states that he is doubtful of the nationalIDcard; however, he supports a nationalIDcard that match’s the person’s fingerprint. This ID only needs to include their name, address, photo and print. It will reduce terrorists from hiding, but it will not prevent all terrorism threats. Legal immigrants benefit from the nationalIDcard; also, they could pass through airports and building security quicker. Moreover, Safire declares that the fear or terrorism has positioned the United States of America to want a...

...This essay argues that national identification cards should not become compulsory to British citizens because the cost of implementing them and the risk from data hackers is too great. Initially this essay will look at the benefits of putting into operation national identity cards. This includes looking at how IDcards help prevent terrorism and how IDcards will benefit the fight against crime. Later the essay will focus on the drawbacks of implementing national identity cards to the British public including costs, potential hackers and the human privacy rights.
One of the main reasons why identity cards should be implemented is because of the recent terrorism threats (Heffer, 2004). The journal entitled ‘how IDcards can liberate us’ states that the British Metropolitan police commissioner, John Stevens stands on the issue that the use of national identification cards will help fight the war against terrorism in Britain. Fighting terrorism is an extremely strong argument for making identity cards compulsory. The identity cards will be highly beneficial to the police in tracking down terrorists, since biometric data will be collected on a national register. Furthermore Stevens believes that the government owe it to our...

...William Safire discusses the threat of a national identification card in his essay titled “The Threat of NationalID.” He points out both the pros and cons to having a nationalID. He makes very valid points to support the idea of not requiring a nationalID, but his attacks to the side in favor of the IDcard are too far stretching. He is reaching out to the worst possible outcomes of having a nationalID and saying it will happen. There is a need for a nationalID in the United States because first, it will shorten the gap between private and public information. But is that any different than what we already do now. We carry around a driver’s license or an IDcard. It is required by law to have one but you don’t need to carry it on you as a pedestrian. But, the same information will be stored.
Safire’s idea that a mandatory nationalID will lead to the implantation of a chip is not a strong reason to not “start” a nationalID system. Scientist and doctors have already done tests on the chip implantation and found the chip does not work because it moves around the body. Also, because it is a chip that must be scanned instead of being swiped like an ID, anyone who can...

...Fears of NationalIDCards
Making everyday routines more convenient seems to be a major selling point in every American market. We want to do as little as possible while wasting a minimal amount of time. What if there was a card that could help speed up the process of our daily routines but at the same time would reveal more about us than we would probably want? In his short essay "Why Fear nationalIDCards," Alan M. Dershowitz discusses the fears that could be a possible product of the installation of nationalIDcards. Dershowitz tries to persuade readers that these fallacious fears of nationalIDcards are nothing to worry about. The three major fears that Dershowitz describes include the rise of deporting illegal aliens, invasive executive officials, and " the right to anonymity" (Dershowitz 556).
A rise in the deportation of illegal aliens is one fear Dershowitz discusses. He tells readers that many people feel that nationalIDcards would make the presence of illegal immigrants more clear. Dershowitz addresses this fear by stating "We already require photo ID's for many activities the vast majority of Americans routinely carry photo ID's in their wallets and pocketbooks." This shows us that since the majority of the United States...

...“The Threat of NationalID”
Comprehension
1. According to Safire most people are willing to give up their privacy “in return for greater safety. That’s why we gladly suffer the pat – downs and ‘wanding’ at airports”. Such precautions contribute to our peach of mind. He believes that law enforcement officials are already taking advantage of this situation. He says that Police are “unconcerned with the sanctity of an individual’s home” and developed “heat sensors to let them look inside people’s houses. And claims that the Justice department has an electronic bug that the F.B.I can plant on your key board to read every stroke. This is really ironic because Safire has typed his article and must question what infringes of his privacy have already been made that he isn’t aware of.
2. Safire says that “nationalIDcards give Americans a “false sense of security”. I believe Safire is referring to the security of your identity. Identification cards are supposed to prove who you are: approve purchases, entry, travel, etc. They are used so that another person can not just take your name and replace you. They ensure the safety of your identity, salary, house, and other personal things. I agree with Safire. Although I feel that there should be some sort of way to identify yourself you will only be able to do that if you give up more of your privacy, like providing a “fingerprint,...

...identification card,and cac card, are a very important thing. There are many things that you have to do in the military that require you to have one on your person at all times. Things such as going to chow; you have to approach the gate guard and present him with your cac card so he can verify that you are authorized to eat in the chow hall. Then when you enter the chow hall you must scan your cac card into the computer that way they can keep a head counrt of how many people go into the chow hall. Also you need your cac card to enter almost any building on the FOB. If you try to enter the PX another guard ask to see your id. If you cant present him with your id then you cant go into the px to make purchaces. Also another problem I encountered was I lost my whole wallet with the ID so I had to try and go to finance to get some money for things I needed for stuff on deployment. Upon entering the finance building I was told to present my ID and I didn’t have one so I could’t get any cash. Also the cac card has a chip inside. This chip allows you to log into your army knowledge online account and gain access to all your military information. You need your cac card for important military events such as a urinalysis screaning , otherwise your comander has to come down and prove your who you say you are. Also the cac...

...EMIRATED IDCARD
Emirates IDcard (also called the National Identity Card) is an identification card, issued by the Emirates Identity Authority (EIA) (EIDA), that all UAE citizens (optional for diplomats) and residents are required to obtain. It will be necessary to produce your Emirates IDcard to use UAE government services.
Residents who have not yet applied for an Emirates IDcard can wait until their residence visa expiry date and apply then (we think, if expiry is in 2012). Unknown what expats with residence visas expiring in 2013 or 2014 should do. Update 28 January 2012: it appears that this new extension applies to expats whose residence visa expires after 31 December 2012, not during 2012 - The Gulf Today reported that The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) has emphasised that the decision of the grace period for registration in the Population Register and the IDCard for the residents in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, which was previously announced, is limited to those whose residence visas expire after Dec.31, 2012.
Residents whose Emirates IDcard is due for renewal have until 31 January 2012 if in Sharjah, 31 March 2012 if in Abu Dhabi, and 31 May 2012 if in Dubai.The extensions do not apply to expats working in government or...